Birds of Preston
What has actually been seen around Preston: 185 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 185 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 31,307 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blackbird
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 34 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.4 h
What the records say about Preston
185 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Preston (Lancashire) since 2010, across 31,307 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blackbird, Woodpigeon and Robin.
Preston is a garden-bird place: 71% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Eurasian Sparrowhawk. A hawk that hunts feeder birds is among them, so set feeders 2–3 metres from shrubs: close enough for cover, far enough that a cat can't ambush from it.
Records peak in May and are lowest in September — about 6.8 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and winter visitors), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.
Woodplumpton, 6 km to the north-west, has fewer species on record (160 against 185). Birds logged far more often around Preston than there include Bank Swallow, Great Crested Grebe and Common Tern.
Daylight runs from 17 h 6 min at midsummer to 7 h 25 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:12 in mid-April and 4:39 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Preston
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,963 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,700 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,488 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 1,254 |
| 5 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,222 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,199 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 1,106 |
| 8 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,019 |
| 9 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 899 |
| 10 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 861 |
| 11 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 838 |
| 12 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 792 |
| 13 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 737 |
| 14 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 726 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 686 |
| 16 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 572 |
| 17 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 556 |
| 18 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 496 |
| 19 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 453 |
| 20 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 449 |
Records by month
What to put out in Preston
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Lancashire
What's arriving, what to feed and when to clean feeders, written for UK gardens. One email a month at most.
Nearby places
Frequently asked
What birds visit gardens in Preston?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Preston are Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin, Magpie and Wren, based on 31,307 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Preston?
185 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Preston?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:39.
Sources
- GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
- GeoNames gazetteer (place, population, elevation)
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.